Falling for Fall

I *love* fall. It's my absolute favorite season of the year. Sometimes I'll go outside and just take a really deep breath and close my eyes, face toward the sky. A gentle breeze is just the icing on my autumn cake. It's a great time of year for photos too. These were taken on an impromptu nature walk today.

Hope you're finding time to relish His Creation, the heavenly weather, and simple blessings!

 Happy fall~

Looks Like Fall!

Took me long enough, eh? I just didn't feel like decorating, but after much pestering from my eldest daughter, we finally put up all our fall things. It really is my favorite season. We don't celebrate Halloween around these parts so I try to focus on pumpkins, leaves, and other 'harvest' decor for our home.

They probably won't be up for very long since Christmas is right around the corner. Eeeek!

Punkins

Last weekend we enjoyed some family time when my dad & step-mom came in for a visit. In the three years we have lived here, we have never visited the little antique shop/pumpkin patch that is less than a mile from home. It was high time!

I've been playing with Photoshop lately {could you tell?} & using it to enhance my pictures. I love the way the technique I'm using makes the colors pop & almost glow. You can see some examples below. The first one is the original; the following photo is the enhanced version.

We picked out several cute pumpkins & a whole bunch of mini-gourds for home decor. I think those were a pretty good deal at 4/$1. There were mini white pumpkins that would look adorable, when hollowed out, as votive holders for the harvest table. I'm probably not going to carve any of the big pumpkins, but am considering some painted pumpkins, perhaps using one of the stencils here. The antique shop was charming & I can't believe how much the kids enjoyed it! These are real antiques, as opposed to new stuff made to look vintage. We admired really old telephones, an antique baby stroller, chests and wood burning stoves. I drooled over two big bins full of metal cookie cutters. I plan to go back for those when time permits. I fell in love with a big window pane with mullions making about 12 different sections. Cleaned up a bit, I'm wondering if it could be hung on the wall, with some photos mounted in some of the sections. At only $18, I think it may just show up in my living room. My dad took notice of my fascination with the vintage oil lamps & offered to buy me one. They remind me of something you'd see in a Pottery Barn catalog, only at a fraction of the price. I am told mine can still be used, so will need to purchase some lamp oil and a new wick. Here it is:

Remember those little knitted pumpkins & how I was so addicted fascinated with making them? Well, I'm back at it.

I forgot how many stitches to cast on, so this first one is a baby compared to the ones I made before. So cute & slightly imperfect, just like a real punkin! A set of three will serve as a housewarming gift for a lovely family.

{{Kudos to you if you've managed to stay with me this far & not fall asleep!}}

Last but not least, a family photo from the punkin place {Photoshopped of course}. Think it's suitable for a Christmas card?

I *heart* fall

I don't think I could love another season more if I tried. There are just so many things I love about this time of year. Being a warm-blooded girl, the cooler weather just suits me so well! I love the crispness of the days, the warmth of fall baking, harvest spices, snuggling in front of a fire. I love outdoors stuff, like apple orchards, pumpkin patches, the changing colors of autumn's glory. I love fall flavors like pumpkin (yum!) and cranberries. My wedding anniversary is in the fall (coming up on 10 years, ya'll)! And Thanksgiving! Don't even get me started on lovin' Thanksgiving! Some pictures of fall goodness I've been enjoying so far:


These harvest cupcakes were made ala Semi-homemade style. The great thing about cooking so much from scratch is that even when you don't, people still will think it's homemade. (sssh! Don't tell anyone I said that!) The cake is a boxed spice mix & the frosting is a recipe from Magnolia. I think presentation goes a long way in making something go from pretty good to extra special. We eat with our eyes first, then with our mouths!


Caramel Frosting
Makes enough to frost about 18-24 cupcakes
2 sticks butter
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. milk
1 T. dark corn syrup ~ I didn't have any, but if you do, then go ahead & use it!
1 t. vanilla

Cream the butter for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the sugars and beat on low for 2 minutes. Add the milk, syrup and vanilla and beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Use immediately or store covered for up to 2 days.

**I let my frosting sit in the fridge for about 20 minutes before piping, just to let it firm up a bit. Then I refriged the frosted cupcakes, so the tops could firm up before covering them with aluminum foil for transport.**

The original recipe says to make the frosting one day before you need it, so the graininess of the brown sugar improves overnight. I avoided this by slightly heating the milk & brown sugar together til the sugar dissolves, then completely cooling in the fridge before adding to the butter/sugar. It's up to you.

Hope you're enjoying your own fall goodness!

Apples & Acorns

Are ya feeling the recipe love here yet? This one is perfect for fall, just right for using those orchard fresh apples, requires little prep & hands-off for 1 hour, and best of all: cheap {well, not to mention tasty too}! If you've never had acorn squash, or other squash for that matter, the taste reminds me of sweet potato, but has a much stringier texture. I served this with pork tenderloin, seared on the stovetop & finished off in the oven; a classic pairing of pork & apples.



Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash
Serves 2 ~ easily doubled to serve 4
1/4 c. apple juice
1/8 c. brown sugar
2 apples
1/2 T. butter
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. freshly grated nutmeg
1 acorn squash

Preheat oven to 350° F. Cut squash in half. Scoop on seeds. Cut a little sliver off of the bottom of each half, so that it stands up in the baking dish. {I had to have hubs do the cutting because that skin is pretty tough!} Put 1" of water in a baking dish & set the squash halves inside. Put the apple juice and sugar in a small saute pan & reduce by half or until thickened & syrupy. Turn off the heat and add the apples, butter, cinnamon & nutmeg. Fold together until everything is coated with the apple syrup. Fill each acorn half with half of the apple mixture. Bake for 1 hour. Enjoy!

{The original recipe is here, but I tweaked it a little based on personal preferences. Also, you need to adjust the sugar based on the sweetness of your apples. I was using Jonamac, so I reduced the sugar to just allow the flavor of the apples shine through. Tarter apples? Use more sugar.}